User blog:Eclipse-AW/Opinions on Good Guilds, or ways to make your Guild better.
This is just a collection of my thoughts on building a better Guild. It's mostly opinion based, and I'm sure that arguments can be made against any of these points. For the most part, I think this is common sense talking, but I still want to throw this article out there. Anyway, I'll explain my thinking on Guilds in Pirate Maidens. The most important element of a Guild is the Guild Leader. The Guild Leader cannot be changed and cannot be kicked from the Guild or their position. The Guild Leader makes most, if not all, of the important decisions for the Guild. The Guild Leader is the "face" of the Guild and is the most easily found member of any Guild. Essentially, the Guild lives and dies, and thrives with the Guild Leader. If the Guild Leader stops playing, the Guild dies. If the Guild Leader chooses the wrong people to add to the Guild, then the Guild as a whole will become less successful. If the Guild Leader fails to establish loyalty to the Guild with the members of the Guild, then member defection to other Guilds is entirely possible. What I'm trying to say here is that if you want to establish a Guild, you can't enter the position with half-assed intentions. You need to be dedicated to the position and the Guild, and more importantly, you need to dedicate yourself to the members of your Guild. If you cannot do any of these, then I suggest that you stop trying to be a leader. If you have the resolve, then create a Guild. Of course, there are many types of Guild Leaders out there. Some do it for fun, some do it to be at the top of the rankings, and some do it to win a lot of fights. Whatever kind of Guild you want to establish, make sure you do it without deviating off your chosen path. As a leader, the members tend to follow your example. Don't forget your goals. That is key. The second most important element of a Guild are the Members. While I say they are second most important, that is also not entirely accurate. A Guild without members is not a Guild, after all. For the most part, unless the Guild Leader is some sort of unstoppable powerhouse monster that destroys everything in the way and prefers a solitary style of play, a Guild absolutely needs to have members. If the Guild Leader was an easily replaceable position, then Guild Members would definitely be the most important element of a Guild. On the social front, good Guild members like to chat and have fun. If the Guild is too businesslike, it's not as enjoyable. A lot of Guilds use alternatives to the in-game BBS system, which is a great way to communicate, since the in-game BBS system is really crappy and limited. If a Guild Leader can establish bonds with their members by chatting, it does build quite a bit of loyalty to the Guild and makes the atmosphere within the Guild a lot better as a whole. (more on that later) On the battle front, obviously strong brawlers are preferred if your Guild is trying to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with. Let's not disillusion ourselves: the best brawlers in the game are the ones that spend the money. Let me take something from the forum for a moment, if I may: "On the other hand, if you're the person who may spend hundreds of dollars on this game, you might as well could fill up your attack crew with Maxed Athenas and get first place in most of the events. The above is rather unbalanced, if you ask me..." I'll say it without hesitation. Of course that's how it is. If you think the game tries to balance playing players and free players, then you're deluding yourself. If the game was trying to be fair, then Gold would buy inconsequential things like alternate art and different decorative frames for cards, and every pirate would be available with wink rescues. Here, in reality, Gold buys power. It's as simple as that. You're playing the wrong game if you expect to become as powerful as a paying player if you're a free player. Therefore, I will also say this without hesitation: if you're attempting to establish yourself as a brawling Guild, then you need to recruit paying brawlers. The more they spend, the more likely they are to be a powerhouse in Guild Brawl. What I'm saying sounds shallow as hell, but it's an undeniable truth, even if I don't like it myself. However, this is not necessarily true for everyone. Things can change within a Guild given the right mindset and willingness of the Guild members to see the Guild succeed. I cannot recall any guild off the top of my head that has 100% paying players. That is even true with my own Guild. However, a free player may end up buying Gold in order to support the Guild, and that leads me to my next point. Guild loyalty is the third most important element of a Guild. It isn't quite enough for a Guild just to be the greatest Guild in the game. What is required is that the members feel a strong connection to the Guild they belong to. If no such connection is established, a Guild will eventually wipe itself out as members leave for other Guilds. Conversely, a strong bond may compel a member to strive harder to make the Guild succeed. I've seen it happen within my own Guild, and I can definitely say there is no greater feeling than to see the Guild members striving to achieve a goal for the Guild without being told or ordered to do so. Guild Leaders can establish stronger bonds through a simple method: chat. Chatting is the easiest way to feel connected to the people in the Guild. The more people get to know their comrades, the more they want to help them, and in time, strive to better themselves and everyone around them. It takes time, but establishing trust is essential and can reap great benefits. Some Guild Leaders believe in a reward system, where the strongest players (Master Gunners, top brawlers, etc.) get rewarded periodically, which can estabilsh friendly competition within the Guild and strengthen members as a whole. As long as competition does not lead to animosity between players, that is also a fine method of doing things. On the other hand, a Guild Leader that punishes too quickly will find that it backfires. Letting people go because they aren't doing enough, or paying enough, or just losing too much sets an example that other members in the Guild will take note of, and trust for the leader becomes more fragile or completely broken. Oppresive dictatorships work only when the people are completely stripped of their freedoms; in a game where players are free to do as they please, if they don't like what's going on, they will leave the Guild as easily as they entered. After all, who can trust the Guild Leader who removes players en masse to fulfill one short term goal? And if they've done it before, who can say that they won't do it again down the line, when it suits their needs? Well, that's all I have time to write about. Questions? Counter-points? Complaints? Feel free to post a comment below. ;3 Category:Blog posts